THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS SUFFERINGS
Let me briefly talk about the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. As in, knowing the fellowship of Christ's suffering.
Somebody once prayed that he would know the Lord. However, he didn't stop there. He raised another outcry which surprised me, and that was to know the fellowship of His sufferings. Let's see how the fellow rightly put it.
Philippians 3:10, KJV
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death."
Have you seen that man's longing? That man is Apostle Paul or better still, Brother Paul.
He prayed..."that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection..."
That would have been okay. Everyone would have wanted to stiff it there. "To know the Lord and the power of His resurrection" is a thing that makes any man to be regarded as a BIG man of God.
It's a thing to 'boast' of if ever we were to count boasts.
But then, Paul goes on to say, "and the fellowship of His sufferings."
I personally wondered if he was in his right senses when he said that. But I found out he was. Apart from having a revelation that made me knew he was, I've also grown to a place where the desire and surrenderness that made Paul prayed like that has been united in me. So, I know somebody can willingly surrender "to suffer" for Christ.
It is this second part that says, "and the fellowship of Your sufferings" that made me affirm over and over that Bro. Paul is indeed spiritual.
Many wish to know Christ and taste one of the astounding privileges of knowing Him - "the power of his resurrection" but they don't want the second part - "sharing in His sufferings."
That one is a bitter leaf they don't want to eat or swallow. They can know Christ and the power of His resurrection - that will make them look like superman to those who touch or hear about them but what about 'the fellowship of His sufferings?"
Behold, "...and the fellowship of His sufferings...", is what I'm here to talk about.
As you grow in faith and in surrenderness to Jesus, you'll get to a place where there's nothing precious you can't yield up. It may however be step by step before your eventual graduation to a place where you're lost in Christ and can't find yourself any longer. Yieldedness would have been beaten into your frame. Even before the Lord asks at times, you would have laid it at the altar.
That's where Paul got to when he prayed this prayer. A carnal minded person cannot pray this kind of prayer. It's a bitter pill to swallow.
But as you grow and exercise yourself in/ towards godliness, certain strong head and the clinging to one's way will be peeled off you. You'll outgrow them.
At that juncture, nothing will be too big to give to God. At that time, your desires would have taken a u-turn. If it's not for God and towards His will, "let it die", you'll say without regrets. Carnal mindedness would have been swallowed up by an affection set on things above. Like Stephen, when others are doing the "earthly", you'll gaze up, act and utter differently.
Acts 7:55-56, KJV
"55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."
At that time, what will be enviable to you will be this prayer of Paul. You will look up to say, "that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto His death..."
Imagine such aspirations! Paul has left aspiring for money behind. What concerns him? What is wheat to chaff? His longing and deep call is, "that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings...etc"
When Paul says, "that I may know Him...", he's talking of personal, intimate, progressive, daily, deeper relationship. That's an ever increasing knowing. At the time He said that, he sure knows the Lord. However, knowing the Lord doesn't terminate if you're still in the flesh. It's continuous. You'll keep intimating, knowing and gathering from God. That's why what God gives us is said to be daily.
The Bible says, "man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
This, "every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" is or are the revelations or rhema words that God will communicate and speak to each of us per time as we come before Him. As we study the Bible, when it breaks loose and instructions leap at us, we're receiving words that we can live on, and of course that proceeds out of the mouth of God. That's the word that meets needs, fits your situation and helps you paddle through life.
In another place, the Bible says, "give us today our daily bread" (Luke 11:3).
Daily bread is suggestive of portion that we rely on God to gather daily and continuously. If you're this dependent on God, you can't but be driven to His chest.
For that reason and from the multitude of the total consumption with love for God, Paul cried, "that I may know Him..."
He doesn't want to rely on the glory of yesterday.
Paul is still yearning and probing for new growth and experiences in Christ. So, he could say, "that I may know Him..."
Then, what about "the power of his resurrection?" Do you remember Jesus was raised from the dead? (Eph. 1:19-20). That resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is what gives believers dominion over sin (Rom. 6:4-11).
It is also the power (Spirit) by which we walk in newness of life - living holy and victorious life. It's also the same power that assures us of our own future resurrection (I Cor. 15:20-23). Again, it's the great power of the Holy Spirit in us, by which we meet needs and lift things in the Spirit (Rom. 8:11). What a power! Power effective! Power crescendo!
And then, "the fellowship of His sufferings..."
What does this mean since this is the crux for which I struck this teaching open?
When you know the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, that's when you're beginning to be perfected like Him. Why did I say that? It's because Jesus Himself says, "a disciple is not greater than His master" (Matt. 10:24-25).
There, Jesus says, "if they have called the master all sorts of evil names and persecuted Him, will (should) the experience of his disciples or followers be different?"
Who are these His followers if not all of us?
So, in suffering, we're not greater than our Master - Jesus. We'll have to share in His sufferings too. The disciples got here. They were persecuted and still went away rejoicing.
Acts 5:41, KJV
"And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name."
What a strange act! What sort of abnormal creatures they are! Imagine that! That was not ordinary. They should have indulged in self pity but they did otherwise for having been counted worthy to participate in Christ's sufferings. They didn't sulk, looking for consolation. They went on being cheerful however!
What a shock!
Until we taste of the fellowship of His sufferings, we cannot be like He is. Until then, we're not perfected like He is.
We should count it worthy when we face all sorts for Christ's sake. Rejoice for great is your reward says the Bible. So persecute they the prophets before you (Matt. 5:10-12).
It is this that makes us as Christ is. That is what Paul desired. He wanted to be equal to Jesus and be as He is. Imagine that desire.
"The fellowship of His sufferings" means partaking of His sufferings. If when you preach, you're stoned, assaulted or abused, that'll be "knowing or partaking of the fellowship of His sufferings." When we "fellowship", it literally means coming to relate or intimate with God. That's fellowshipping with God. So also, we can also 'koinonia' with Christ's suffering by being a partaker of sufferings and hardships that goes with Christian services or more specifically, bearing the name of Christ or preaching the gospel.
Paul aspired to this status as if without it, he wouldn't have been perfected (and that's truly needed).
He desired that everything that befell Christ would befall him. He was praying that he would not be spared but be counted a worthy partaker of Christ's sufferings in order to be like Him.
That is IDENTIFICATION! Some are ashamed of Christ, His demands, burdens, cross and reproaches but here's someone calling for it and seeking it.
He wanted a full touch of everything that touched Christ. He wanted to 'eat' all the 'course meals' that Christ also ate.
He wanted to drink of the cup of sufferings of Christ (Matt. 20:22-23). Drinking it to the full!
And indeed, Paul knows the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. Listen to him recount it all.
"23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea
26 I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.
27 I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
28 Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches" (II Corinthians 11:22-28, NIV).
When Paul said he was shipwrecked three times, take that for being a plane crash victim three consecutive times and yet being spared.
If you've experienced vivid plane turbulence before, let alone a crash, you'll understand and appreciate Paul for all his experiences.
Kai!
Lord, count me also worthy. I know I'm like a jeep made for rough terrains. I'm seeking expression of it all and manifestations of all that has been written. In all when it comes, may it be to the glory of Your name. We're not afraid if it's for the cause of the gospel and Christ. We'll humbly suffer for Him.
Then, our verse says, "being made conformable to His death."
What does this mean? What is Paul aspiring to here?
Having known the fellowship of Christ's sufferings by partaking in it, one will then be made conformable to His death.
This is nothing but dying to self. When you're made conformable to His death, you share in the self denial attitude and disposition of Jesus.
When you're "conformed" to something, you lean towards and might eventually take a stance and a position. That's aspiration to arrive at total surrenderness where one can confess like Christ, "not my will but your will."
You will arrive where God's will/purpose will cross your own human will. If at that time, you want to conform unto His death, you'll act like Jesus who said in prayer, "Father, let this cup pass over me" but who immediately submits saying, "not my will but yours." This way, you share in the inevitable outcomes of Jesus' death.
When you're this way dead to sin, you'll live humbly and sacrificially.
You will have nothing precious that you can't yield or give up for Christ's and the gospel's sake.
Jesus yielded His own life up to fulfill His Father's will. Same way, you'll begin to live sacrificially, while hoping for resurrection and eternal life. And that's why I need to quickly introduce you to one couple whose pictures the Lord flashed before me to model an example of those who "have known the fellowship of Christ's sufferings" also.
Benjamin and Gloria Kwashi (a couple) are those servants. They may not be beautiful to many people but they are to God.
Benjamin was once the Archbishop of Jos Province in the Anglican Communion, Church of Nigeria. Though orthodox ministers and such that some may not reckon to live sacrificially for Jesus, yet they have 'given all' and probably are still paying.
They have been beaten, bombed, threatened, robbed, raped and violated. Gloria, the wife of Benjamin Kwashi had been barbarically beaten and raped even by those sent to murder her husband! You heard that! But they're still trodding on.
Their church and their house have been bombed and burnt on occasions and they've survived many attempts and assassinations targeted against their lives in Nigeria's northern part.
Because of their hearts for Jesus, they have adopted 54 kids (if not more) who live with them apart from their own 6 adult kids. These could have been displaced and orphaned children from terrorism and the many assaults against Christian communities in Jos. In addition, a good report says they have like another 450 adoptees in their school.
What will you do if you get to a place where your spouse is raped for the cause of Christ? Indeed, they are on the front line while many only coast along!
These are people who have had their own shares and known the fellowship of Christ's sufferings.
They are partakers not only of the blessings but the 'marah water' that's bitter.
But their knowing Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings only loud their being made conformable unto His death.
They and other heroes of faith that we can't count are the ones who indeed have known the fellowship of Christ's sufferings.
The fellowship of Christ's sufferings is not interesting but your love for Him is what can give you love and endurance to bear it.
More so, since your will is lost in Christ's, you will not care about the earthly again. Even if you lost all, you'll say Christ is enough for me. I believe that's the solace of this Kwashi family. May we also say, "Christ is enough for us."
What a privilege that's bestowed on us when we know Christ's sufferings.
What an honor that what happened to Jesus is happening to us!
What a thing of joy to yield our life, wealth, status, importance, esteem up for Jesus and His cause.
May God find me and you worthy of knowing the sufferings of Christ.
Will it be good if He only blesses us (with salvation and all spiritual blessings) but we never taste His sufferings.
We won't be that kind of friend who only eats the goods of His house but can't endure with Him. We will rather stay and abide with Him in His 'moment of temptations'.
Our song even in that deep anguish and troubling will be:
Thou my everlasting portion,
More than friend or life to me,
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.
Close to thee, close to thee,
Close to thee, close to thee;
All along my pilgrim journey,
Savior, let me walk with thee.
Not for ease or worldly pleasure,
Nor for fame my prayer shall be;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with thee.
Close to thee, close to thee,
Close to thee, close to thee;
Gladly will I toil and suffer,
Only let me walk with thee.
Lead me through the vale of shadows,
Bear me o'er life's fitful sea:
Then the gate of life eternal,
May I enter, Lord, with thee
Close to thee, close to thee,
Close to thee, close to thee;
Then the gate of life eternal,
May I enter, Lord, with thee.
So shall it be brethren! (Amen)!
Olusola ADEJUMO,
M'Wings.
Morning Wings Ministry,
Nigeria.
morningwingsministryplus@gmail.com
5/10/2025
